Yacht seized by pirates anchors off Somalia

A four-deck luxury yacht that has been trailed by the French navy after being seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden set anchor near a remote town in Somalia yesterday. But the French prime minister, François Fillon, played down the threat of a military raid to free the yacht, saying "all channels of discussion" remained open.

"We are putting the emphasis on protecting the lives of those on board," Fillon said.

On Friday at least 10 heavily armed pirates stormed the 288ft yacht, Le Ponant, as it returned from the Seychelles to the Mediterranean. The yacht's 30-member staff includes 22 French citizens as well as Koreans and Ukrainians.

The French military, which has a large base in Djibouti, dispatched an aircraft to track the yacht, and a frigate was diverted from Nato duties.

Officials said the yacht reached Eyl on Somalia's northern coast, the same area where a British-captained tugboat bound for Russia was held for 46 days before being released last month. In that case, a ransom of several hundred thousand dollars was reportedly paid to the pirates, who claimed to be protecting Somalian waters from foreign exploitation.

Last year there were 31 pirate attacks off Somalia, the most anywhere wordwide. In 2005 attackers tried but failed to stop a cruise liner by firing rocket-propelled grenades at it. Though US-led coalition ships patrol the coast, owners of hijacked vessels usually seek to negotiate with pirates, who keep a network of intermediaries and bank accounts in Dubai and Kenya. Crew members are seldom harmed.